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West Virginia Manufacturing Software Since 1995

Keep operations humming with superior workforce productivity and flexibility.

Let's talk manufacturing for a minute.  Manufacturing drives our economy.  Even with much off-shored to China and other countries United States manufacturing is still very large in scale.

Ok, let's first jump right into what are major components of most manufacturing system environments.

West Virginia Customers

Some information I know about West Virginia is I believe the state was admitted or ratified to the United States around or about 'June 20, 1863'.  West Virginia is located around latitude '39' and longitude of '-80.5' and has a population of roughly '1,793,716 million'.  If I remember correctly the capital is 'Charleston' and the largest city is 'Charleston'. 

Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is a software solution that monitors, tracks, documents, and controls the entire production process from raw materials to finished goods.

Key Functions:

• Production Scheduling: Planning and scheduling production activities.
• Resource Management: Managing machines, tools, and labor.
• Quality Management: Monitoring and ensuring product quality during production.
• Data Collection: Collecting and analyzing real-time production data.
• Performance Analysis: Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)

A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is a software solution designed to maintain a database of information about an organization's maintenance operations, facilitating the management of maintenance activities.

Key Functions:

• Work Order Management: Creating, tracking, and completing maintenance work orders.
• Preventive Maintenance: Scheduling regular maintenance to prevent equipment failures.
• Asset Management: Managing and tracking physical assets, including machinery and equipment.
• Inventory Control: Managing spare parts and maintenance supplies.
• Reporting and Analysis: Generating reports on maintenance activities, costs, and performance.

Quality Management System (QMS)

A Quality Management System (QMS) is a formalized system that documents processes, procedures, and responsibilities for achieving quality policies and objectives, ensuring that a company consistently produces products that meet customer and regulatory requirements.

Key Functions:

• Document Control: Managing quality documentation and records.
• Compliance Management: Ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations.
• Process Control: Monitoring and controlling production processes to ensure quality.
• Non-Conformance Management: Identifying, documenting, and resolving non-conformances.
• Continuous Improvement: Implementing initiatives for continuous quality improvement (e.g., Six Sigma, Kaizen).

Learning Management System (LMS)

A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application or web-based technology used to plan, implement, and assess a specific learning process, often used for employee training and development in the manufacturing industry.

Key Functions:

• Course Management: Creating, managing, and delivering educational courses and training programs.
• Tracking and Reporting: Monitoring learner progress and generating reports on training effectiveness.
• Assessment and Testing: Providing tools for quizzes, exams, and assessments to evaluate learner understanding.
• Certification Management: Issuing and tracking certifications for completed training.
• Content Delivery: Delivering training materials in various formats, including videos, documents, and interactive modules.

Integration and Benefits:

MES Integration: MES can be integrated with CMMS for real-time data on equipment status, with QMS for quality monitoring during production, and with LMS for operator training based on production needs.

CMMS Integration: CMMS can work with MES to ensure timely maintenance of production equipment and with QMS to ensure maintenance activities adhere to quality standards.

QMS Integration: QMS can integrate with MES for real-time quality control and with LMS to ensure continuous training on quality standards.

LMS Integration: LMS can be integrated with MES and QMS to provide training programs aligned with production processes and quality requirements.

Ops (Operations)

This department is responsible for overseeing the production processes, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently.  Operations involve managing the day-to-day activities required to produce goods or deliver services.

TSMS (Technical Services and Manufacturing Support)

This team provides specialized technical support and services to manufacturing operations.  They might handle tasks such as troubleshooting, process optimization, and equipment maintenance.

QA (Quality Assurance)

The QA department ensures that products or services meet specified quality standards and regulatory requirements.  They implement and oversee testing procedures, inspection processes, and quality control measures.

QCL (Quality Control Laboratory)

This is a specialized lab where quality control tests are conducted on products and materials.  It involves analytical testing, validation, and verification to ensure compliance with quality standards.

Maintenance

This department is responsible for the upkeep and repair of equipment and facilities.  Regular maintenance ensures that machinery operates efficiently and prevents costly breakdowns.

Logistics

The logistics department manages the flow of goods and materials from suppliers to the end customer.  This includes transportation, warehousing, inventory management, and distribution.

IT (Information Technology)

IT handles all aspects of the company's technology infrastructure, including hardware, software, networks, and cybersecurity.  They ensure that systems are running efficiently and securely.

Automation

This function focuses on the use of technology to automate manufacturing processes, reduce manual labor, and increase efficiency.  Automation includes the integration of robotics, control systems, and software applications to streamline operations.

What is an Example of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing?

Above is an image of an gelcap encapsulation machine.  This is the type of machines Banner Pharmacaps utilized for production of gelcaps for fish oil etc.  I utilized Metler Toledo scales attached via a serial cable/port to a PC which allows software I created to determine gelcap weight when performing cycle tests.  Adjustments were made to the encap machine where needed when gelcap weights were out of thresholds.  Also critical to the cycle tests was the microscope view of gelcaps for outer thickness to eliminate leakers.

What is OTR Repair / Cart Manufacturing?

Above is an image of an OTR Container which is utilized in United States mail postal distribution centers to move mail around.  When I was the systems administrator of New Breed I was over the Symix production software written in Progress 4GL running on HP Unix systems.  New Breed would repair these OTR Containers and send them back to the USPS.  New Breed also manufactured OTR carts from discarded OTR containers.  New Breed also repaired postal service mail bags.

How does Tobacco Processing Production Work?

Above is an image of a tobacco processing line.  This is the type of production line I wrote software for when on a contract with Dimon Tobacco.  The first implementation of the software system I and a team created was first implemented in Tanzania and to be sent throughout other processing centers around the world.  I was tasked with creation of the C# .net barcode system for the entire process.  The barcode labeling machines were Intermec and Zebra.  The intermediary software I utilized for printing of the actual thermal label with human readable fields and non-human readable firlds was Loftware.

What is an example of Jet Aircraft Parts Production?

Above is an image of an aircraft repair facility.  While at TIMCO I was over Symix manufacturing software modifications written in Progress 4GL.  The process of aircraft repair often times meant creating new parts.  Often our computers and floors would shake at TIMCO when new sheet metal was being stamped out for repairs.  The Symix software ran on HP Unix and operational to support 3 production shifts.

What is Gas Pump Production?

Manufacturing gas pumps is much like building a small car.  When I worked for Gilbarco Marconi writing software for the Sales and Marketing department using Visual Basic HLLAPI and DB2 I learned a lot about 'Expert System Configurations'.

What is an Example of Food Production?

Here is a story for ya!  When working at Nabisco I took a tour of a biscuit production line (named primarily due to the ingredients).  The line conveyor belt split off into 2 sections.  The section on the right was making 'Ritz Crackers' that literally melted in my mouth when sampled.  The section on the left with the same ingredients cooked differently were 'Milky Way Dog Bones'.  Yep same ingredients for both products.  Haha

If at any point you decide to reach to me just know the area codes I am familiar with for West Virginia are '304, 681'.  For Manufacturing assistance you will find my rates very reasonable for West Virginia.  Now just keep in mind my time zone is 'Eastern Standard Time (EST)' and I know the time zones in West Virginia are 'Eastern Standard Time (EST)' in case you wish to call me.  Anyway let me continue.

Can you Provide a Case Study?

Sensory Analytics builds software and hardware for specific industry needs for measurement and technology enhancement.  Sensory Analytics selected Eddie to write a mechanism allowing communication to multiple devices across a USB chain data acquisition communications board.  Eddie delivered the tested in 1 day.

Did you know manufacturing software requires a fundamental understanding of manufacturing processes.  Process manufacturing is the branch of manufacturing that is associated with formulas and manufacturing recipes, and can be contrasted with discrete manufacturing, which is concerned with bills of material and routing.  In fact in order to write software for process manufacturing we must understand first what it is so let's get started with an overview.

What is Process Manufacturing?

The simplest and easiest way to grasp the definition of process manufacturing is to recognize that, once an output is produced by this process, it cannot be distilled back to its basic components.  In other words, "once you put it together, you cannot take it apart".  A can of soda cannot be returned to its basic components such as carbonated water, citric acid, potassium benzoate, aspartame, and other ingredients.  Juice cannot be put back into an orange.  A plastic card manufactured cannot be returned to its basic components like PVR sheets, transparent sheets.  A car or computer, on the other hand, can be disassembled and its components, to a large extent, returned to stock.

Process manufacturing is common in the food, beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, and biotechnology industries.  In process manufacturing, the relevant factors are ingredients, not parts; formulas, not bill of materials; and bulk, not individual units.  This is more than a subtle difference in terminology; the terms characterize distinct manufacturing approaches.

Process Manufacturing Software Vertical Markets

1. Food and beverages
2. Paints and coatings
3. Specialty chemicals
4. Bulk-drug pharmaceuticals
5. Nutraceuticals
6. Cosmeceuticals
7. CTP Segment
8. Textiles

You know, I don't make it out to West Virginia much but I would like to see the 'Cardinal' state bird.  I am a little familiar with the West Virginia 'Rhododendron' state flower as well.  However, I do not know much about West Virginia's state tree the 'Sugar Maple'.  Fishing is fun to me perhaps I would like reeling in the West Virginia 'Brook Trout' state fish.  Anyway, sorry I went off topic.  Let me continue.

Formulation

Formulation is a fairly easy concept, but it is often incorrectly equated with a bill of materials.  Formulation specifies the ingredients and the amounts (e.g., pounds, gallons, liters) needed to make the product.  The first thing to recognize is that to be able to work with a formula, the units of measure must correspond; a flexible unit of measure conversion engine running under an ERP software cover is needed.  Furthermore, conversion rules must be specified to account for the unique requirements of the business in question.

The proportions of ingredients in a formula also highlight the need for another feature, namely scalability.  A formula to make 500 liters of a chemical must be scalable to make 250 liters or 1,000 liters.  Another aspect of scalability is that it makes possible manufacturing based on how much of an ingredient is available.  An example will illustrate this point.  If you are making a car and only have two of the required four tires, you cannot make half a car.  In other words, you must have all the parts in the required quantities to make the finished product; they are not scalable.  But in process manufacturing, if you want to make 1,000 gallons of soda and you only have 500 gallons of the required 1,000 gallons of carbonated water, you have the option of making half as much soda.  In process manufacturing you can make as much of a finished product as is specified in the formula for the smallest quantity in stock of one of the ingredients.

Packaging

A packaging recipe is similar to a formula, but rather than describing the proportion of ingredients, it specifies how the finished product gets to its final assembly.  A packaging recipe addresses such things as containers, labels, corrugated cartons, and shrink-wrapping.  In process manufacturing, the finished product is usually produced in bulk, but is rarely delivered in bulk form to the customer.  For example, the beverage manufacturer makes soda in batches of thousands of gallons.  However, a consumer purchases soda in 12-ounce aluminum cans, or in 16-ounce plastic bottles, or in 1-liter bottles.  And a restaurateur may have the option of getting a 5- or 50-gallon metal container with the beverage in syrup form, so that carbonated water can be added later.

Why is this concept important?  Compare how often Coca Cola changes the formula for Coke with how often the packaging is changed to announce a special promotion: it would be easier to keep track of the weather than promotions.  If the formula and packaging recipes are linked, then every time the packaging changes, the formula would need modification.  Likewise, when the formula is changed, all of the packaging recipes would have to be changed.  This increases maintenance costs and chances for error.  In process manufacturing, the formula for making the product and the recipe for packaging the product exist in separate structures to reduce the ongoing maintenance function.

In the production cycle, a work order is issued to make the product in bulk.  Separate pack orders are issued to signify how the bulk material is to be containerized and shipped to the customer.  This is important in process industries which make "brite" stock or private labels.  For example, large grocery chains sell products, such as soups, soda, and meats, under their own brand names, hence "private labels".  But these chains do not have their own manufacturing plants; they contract for these products.  In the case of soups, process manufacturers create and warehouse nondescript, unlabeled (hence "brite") aluminum cans of soup.  (Since the cans are filled, sealed, and then cooked under pressure, their shelf life is long.)

By separating the product formula from a packaging recipe, a production order can be issued to make and store the cans of soup and later, when the customer is ready to order soup, a work order can be issued to label the cans according to customer specifications before they are shipped to the store.  Thus segregation of the formula and pack recipe makes the world of process manufacturing efficient and effective.

Process Manufacturing Software

Just like the products that they produce, discrete and processing manufacturing software have different focal points and solve different problems.  For the same reason that the proverbial square peg does not fit in the round hole, software geared toward discrete, or even hybrid manufacturing will not work smoothly in a process manufacturing setting.  Even process manufacturing software alone needs to be tailored to a particular business context.  Critical aspects such as formulation, routing, ingredients, unit of measure, and pricing must be evaluated relative to the business.